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Friday, January 15, 2016

Sean Penn: "My article has failed"..He has "terrible regret".

DD; Almost, and possibly more has been written about Sean Penn than has been written about "el Chapo" concerning the interview that Penn did with the drug lord Chapo Guzman. In this interview with Charlie Rose for 60 Minutes Penn attempts to explain why he did the interview and what he wanted to accomplish.

The cartel leader was re-captured a week ago,
and Penn made headlines the following day when Rolling Stone published
his account of visiting the kingpin in hiding last October.

"

There
is this myth about the visit that we made, my colleagues and I with El
Chapo, that it was -- as the Attorney General of Mexico is quoted --
'essential' to his capture," Penn said. "We had met with him many weeks
earlier...on October 2nd, in a place nowhere near where he was
captured."

"So as far as, you know, you had nothing to do and your visit had nothing to do with his recapture?" Rose asked."Here's
the things that we know: We know that the Mexican government ... they
were clearly very humiliated by the notion that someone found him before
they did," Penn said. "Well, nobody found him before they did. We
didn't -- we're not smarter than the DEA or the Mexican intelligence. We
had a contact upon which we were able to facilitate an invitation."

Penn said he believes the Mexican government released the information
about Penn in part because they wanted to see him blamed and to
encourage the cartel to put him in their crosshairs.

"Are you fearful for your life?" Rose asked.

"No," Penn said.

When Penn decided to pursue the interview with Guzman, he said he only had one thought.

"This
is somebody who -- upon whose interview could I begin a conversation
about the policy of the war on drugs. That was my simple idea," Penn
said.

"'We're going to put all our focus -- forget about blame -- we're
going to put all our focus, all our energy, all our billions of dollars
on the 'bad guy,' and what happens? You get another death the next day
the same way," Penn added.

"Do you make a moral equivalency between El Chapo and people who either buy or sell drugs in America?" Rose asked.

"I do, if it's me," Penn said. "I don't make that judgment for everyone else. But I wouldn't go so far as to buy or sell drugs."

"So he's no better than you or no worse than you," Rose said.

"I
can't make him worse than me if I'm not out there doing everything that
I can to get a conversation going on the way in which we prosecute that
war," Penn said.

In an email exchange with the Associated Press
Monday about his meeting with Guzman, Penn said, "I've got nothin' to
hide." But he told Rose he has "a terrible regret."

"I have a
regret that the entire discussion about this article ignores its
purpose, which was to try to contribute to this discussion about the
policy in the War on Drugs," Penn said.

"Let's go to the big
picture of what we all want. We all want this drug problem to stop. We
all want them -- the killings in Chicago to stop," Penn added. "We are
the consumer. Whether you agree with Sean Penn or not, there is a
complicity there. And if you are in the moral right, or on the far left,
just as many of your children are doing these drugs ... And how much
time have they spent in the last week since this article come [sic] out,
talking about that? One percent? I think that'd be generous."

"You're saying there's not much dialogue about--"

"My article failed," Penn said.

"As a result of El Chapo," Rose said.

"Let me be clear. My article has failed," Penn responded.

Penn
and Rolling Stone also took heat for allowing Guzman to review Penn's
article before it was published in the magazine. Rolling Stone publisher
Jann Wenner defended the magazine's decision to give El Chapo what he
called "story approval," saying "it was a small price to pay."

Penn
described himself as an experiential journalist, someone who writes
about his experiences and not about things he wasn't present for.

"When
you get the story that every journalist in the world wanted, there's a
lot of green-eyed monsters who gonna come give you a kiss," Penn said.

"Those are jealous journalists you're suggesting," Rose said.

"That, yes. ...Of course I know that there are people who don't like me out of the gate," Penn said.

"You're not without controversy," Rose said.

"Not
without controversy. Fair enough," Penn said. "At the same time, you
know, when...'journalists' who want to say that I'm not a journalist --
well, I want to see the license that says that they're a journalist."

Penn
also told Rose he thinks he was able to get access to El Chapo because
he's not a traditional journalist, and he doesn't think any traditional
journalist would have had success.

6:11 everybody?Most people did not even knew what was going on, all the live broadcasting was done later after televisa made up the scripts and rented the "hour hotel" were el cholo was caught inflating el chapo's "bombita" all naked while el chapo was hanging from his spaghetti straps from the bed posts...--that was priceless compared to the fate of el barbas...

That Sean Penn can not be killed if he gets murdered by the sinaloa cartel, the US government is going to go with everything against all the remaining narcos from that cartel, and that includes el chapos sons. He is an hollywood actor that would get them a load of heat if they pull that stunt. If they are smart they would not dare to touch that dude... They don't want those drones up their ass.

Kate Castillo is mexican she is in bigger trouble they can kill or torture her at any time, doubt the narco-gob would do much about it to protect her ass.

You look pretty foolish saying someone's questions are stupid, or trying to question someone as a journalist when you don't even have reading comprehension... hahaha.. oh, and what criteria does a person have to meet for you to see them as a journalist? And I think he did a pretty good job.. accomplished something no one else could. Oh and if you really knew what you were talking about, you'd know that the questions asked were thru a third party who rearranged the wording, and ommitted certain questions.. it always helps to do a bit of research on a subject before speaking on it, especially if you're going to say something negative

If Stupid Questions ever got to see his Stupid Calzones in front of El Chapo Guzman, he/she would just piss herself like a little gatita...--Meanwhile he/she uses his/her PhD in "journalism" to post shet here, anonymously, "at our level"...--I understand chivis, dd, lucious, and otis, my BB partner the other 50% owner of BB, "what'sis name", and the others on this team of volunteers and contributors, even on the Canal de las Estrellas BB forum, a voluntary work of love..--Sean Penn even may get paid, but he got financed, and could have got killed if el comeniños had said so, Sean put his ass in the line...--you, could not hold on to your weapons or to your "rug" in your photo, that I can see...

They should have waited a month or 2 after the capture to release this interview if as Sean says wanted a discussion on the war on drugs.Instead they released it the day after capture.I really wonder when they had planned on releasing it if Chapo never got captured?That would of been a good question to Sean from Charlie Rose.

Rolling Stone does not publish an overnight rag...--while it publishes BS sometimes, its "elegant magazines" take longer to prepare and send to sell, it is more like the magazine was ahead and the capture catches up with them.--everybody feels frustrated "after" anything, rarely is there a totally perfect permanent satisfaction...grow up, Sean...

These are some questions I'd like to ask Chapo Guzman: - Who killed Cardinal Posada Ocampos?

- What foreign intelligences assisted you in carrying-out cartel operations?

- Who really killed Kiki Camarena?

- Who in the government protected you while you a fugitive from the law?

- Did Dámaso López Núñez help you escape from Puente Grande?

- Where is el MZ? El Azul?

- Who started the war in Tijuana? In Cuidad Juarez?

- Did President Calderon favor your cartel?

- How many people are you responsible for killing? How many is your cartel responsible for killing?

- How much money do you have? Where is at?

- How does the structure of the cartel operate? How are the illegal drugs trafficked?

Who helped escape from El Altiplano?

These are some of the questions I'd like to ask JAGL. He would probably have to kill me once he answered them for me. The questions Sean Penn asked didn't really ask or answer any relevant information pertaining to Mr. Guzman or the war on drugs. All it did was help him get recaptured and obtain publicity for Sean Penn, Kate Del Castillo, and Rolling Stone. - alias El Licenciado

Do you honestly think that he would have answered those questions? With all of the gunmen around him I know for a fact that you wouldn't ask him those things especially if you could see that he was visably upset

Waste of time with all this useless unconfirmed info. He could give any name at this point. Hell he could say Sean Penn. There is only one question needed to be asked at this point. "A bullet to the head or a machete to the throat?"

First off Sean Penn is a washed up actor with a failed marriage to Madonna. He have never intervened anyone or written anything to date. A true journalist does not let the interviewee edit the content. Yes these were stupid questions, but in his defense, didn't Chapo agree to do the interview as long as he could omit unwanted questions? Why do you think the real journalist are being killed in Mexico? For reporting the true facts, not the cartel's version of events. Everyone is saying they would have asked this or that. Do you think you would have come down off that mountain after those incriminating, confrontational questions? This proves this man is heartless and each and everyone of you know it. Just because you gave money to this group of folks, it doesn't mean you can kill a whole different group for control. He is protecting his dirty deeds. He wants to be known only as a drug lord and hide the fact he instructions to murder. Any moron should know better than to believe he had nothing to do with the thousands of deaths!

7:52 the great majority of reporters murdered in mexico are victims of government assassinations, they are the ones with a lot to lose, not the narcos everyone knows everything about, but politicians with a lot to hide...like javier duarte de ochoa, aka "la marrana sin cola"

Did the author remove a chivis comment? Wow I didn't think that was possible. Buela you are going to have to pull rank and repost your comment. What do you think of all this Sean Penn stuff Ms. Queen Chivis?

Cartels don't care if you are guilty of being a snitch. If you are suspect or relative of a suspect or friend of a suspect they will hang your body from a highway overpass as a message. Hire security and watch your back for the next, oh, forty years. Penn has no understanding of narcocultura. Many of us do. Oh, if he has a goldfish it will be tortured too.

To get a chance to interview El Chapo , and not know shit about the history of the Cartel drug wars, is the biggest embarrassment of Sean Penns life ( besides being married to Madonna at one point ) what a total failure of an "interview" Oprah would have even done better _ so ridiculously pathetic !

You're pathetic to think that Penn really has no clue about the history of drug cartels. Please and what is so bad about Madonna anyway? When he married her she was hot, young, and rich and now she's just hot and rich. For you to compare Oprah to Penn is rediculosly pathetic. You're one of those jackasses like 2:10 asking questions everybody knows the answers to aren't you? If you read BB you woul know that the translator asking the qestions did not ask chapo all the questions Penn had for him. Maybe the translator knew certain questions could put a bullet in his head.

I hate that people still want to focus in what is not important. I agreed with Penn from that start about his message. Maybe the article wasn't as good as it could have been but the whole point is to show that the war on drugs is a failure!

I used to respect Penn for his incredible work in Haiti after the last earthquake, which he did personally for at least a year. He was tireless and obsessed and did so much good. But he had a hard-on about meeting chapo for what???... to discuss his simple idea a la

"This is somebody who -- upon whose interview could I begin a conversation about the policy of the war on drugs. That was my simple idea," Penn said.

Seriously? This statement, and the Sean Penn in Wonderland RS article reveal the depths of his cluelessness. First of all, the article in no way, shape or form is a discussion of the "war on drugs."

It is rather a rollicking story about SEAN and his trip to deep, dark Mexico and all the stealth and intrigue it took to get there. If you need any more evidence of his complete stupidity, his own admission that he has "never used a laptop" and had no idea how to use a smartphone are the icing on the cake.

The only thing possible even MORE ironic about the whole interview is that Chapo had never even heard of him and invited him only to please Kate. He even said Kate could bring anyone she wanted? So I think Penn and Chapo are about on the same wavelength here... very low frequency.

Yes, you are right Sean. Your article failed... mostly because you didn't even talk about the war on drugs. What an idiot. He and the leaked texts between Chapo and Kate have singlehandedly made the vaunted most wanted person in the world a laughingstock. I wonder how Chapo feels about all of this?

OK. everyone has had their say on the interview with El Chapo. Neatly every comment made on the story has been critical of Sean Penn, criticizing him as a journalist, an actor, and/or as a person. In my opinion much of that criticism is not justified.

If you are not acquainted with, or at least met him, I don't know how you can have an informed opinion of him as a person.

As an actor, he has won 2 Oscars for best actor as a leading man and 1 Golden Globe for best actor. In addition he has been nominated for best actor a combined total of 7 times by Golden Globe and Academy Awards. Not a bad record.

And as a journalist, he is not one. He is an activist who wanted the interview to help promote a discussion of how the US is prosecuting the "War" on drugs.

As to the criticism of the "interview" and the questions that were asked. When he went to Mexico to meet Chapo he intended to have 2 days to conduct the interview, not the 17 minutes on the tape. Penn was reluctant to agree to submitting written questions (rather than face to face) because he could not control the interview nor ask follow-up questions. As it turned out, his concerns were justified. The interviewer (one of Chapos people) "soft pedaled" (changed the wording) of some questions and just didn't ask others that Penn had submitted.

Questions that some of you have said he should have asked;"who killed the Cardinal""Where are Azul and Mayo""who have you paid for protection?"etc.etc.

Those are questions that a prosecutor would ask in an interrogation, not what a activist/journalist would ask in an inverview. Penn was not trying to gain intelligence that could be used in prosecuting drug traffickers.

He wanted to build a profile of Chapo - a measure of the man, his character, his views and outlook on life and the the violence in Mexico.

So how does getting to know Chapo aid in a discussion of drug policies being used to fight the War? One of the first rules of any war is "Know your enemy".

I think Penn probably learned more about who Chapo is as a man, not as a drug lord, in the 7 hours at dinner (on the day he arrived. the only real face to face he had with him) followed by drinking tequila under the stars. A video of that evening would probably be very interesting.

Thanks for all your comments even if I don't agree with a lot of them.

and I could not disagree more. I would have asked the hard questions, he could elect not to answer but then people would be left to draw their own conclusions as to why. What was gained? A wasted opportunity. and how exactly do you know Penn's agenda? I am still scratching my head over that one.You elude to some questions our readers have asked as being dumb/useless, so I ather you think my question, if only given one to ask falls in that basket. I said I would ask the status of the personal and working relationship with Mayo. However that is answered or, would be telling in deriving a conclusion. Even if indirectly.If our readers do not like Penn as an actor it is not us to judge and say they are wrong. It is a preference. Myself, I don't much care for men who beat and restrain women by tying them to a chair. I really respect almost all of our readers, and on occasion listening to them as motivated me to dig deeper and learn more, and even change my opinion. If they like the interview, or don’t, like chapo, or not, like penn or not, that is their right. And do not need lectures.The first rule in journalism is to know your subject. This was an exercise in egocentricity. That said I think he did nothing outside the boundaries of the law, that I can see at this point. However I would have much rather a Ioan Grillo had the interview, because the narco world and what makes things as they are, is my wheelhouse. Grillo is tops in an interview and as a writer. He makes one feel comfortable, he looks down at no one.For the record Penn stated nothing in the video and interview was changed and Chapo asked for no edits and answer every question. An evening with Chapo under the stars.... what? You can't be serious.

When Chivis asked what would be our question if we had only one to give, I gave an offering and it was about Azul. I enjoyed reading the questions of others, and sure some were just messing around but I think most were not unreasonable. I think it is safe to say questions about Azul and Mayo topped the list. For good reason.

Bottom line is that thoughtful, educated or somewhere less than, we should not be scolded for our opinions.

Thats what im talkin about.Chivis dont slow her roll for no-one,peoples opinions are just that,opinions?And baby we all got millions of them.Personally i cant stand the crank Pen,and awards,i thought all the grown ups knew not to take them seriously.2 Oscars c,mon man,awards?

I totally agree with dd. I know it's your opinion chivis but if you were to ask none of your business questions you would have got kicked out without your camera to prove you weren't there and got an ass kicking to go along with that. I would love to see or read about an evening under the stars with chapo. 2:06 you're lost you just agree with chivis because both dd a chivis comments are too long for you to read. Still luv ya chivis I just agree with dd on this one.

chivis comment is half the size, she is correct, admins can offer an opinion but really doesn't gain any fans by being critical of a point of view. it is just an opinion, so why the mission to scold? keep up the good work Chivis.

Buy drugs? He's a gringo from LA who said "I'm very familiar with the Algadones crossing". Only reason anyone knows that crossing is either you're a snowbird buying viagra, from Yuma and you get tacos or hookers at The Green Door, or you're from out if town and buy OxyContin in bulk. And half his article was about his bloated ego. He had the chance to get some real info, but it's all fluff. Typical stereotypical Hollywood douchebag. And nice try deflecting. He got Chapo caught with his big mouth, and he better go buy some guns to replace the ones he threw away at his dumb girlfriends request.

8:23 you may not have noticed, the dumb americans 5hat come saying "amigo", that you think are full of fluff, and maybe fluffy shit, the ones you think are trying to kiss your ass, they are only putting you at ease, when you least expect it, you have their whole arm up your ass, certainly, a Malinche, Doña Marina, or Pocahontas on your side help thing rolling, while other times the maricon himself does it all, style of puppet epn, you just pull a string or another...

I would have thought that when JGL escaped he would have stopped using phones. He would have stayed permanently in the Sierras. He would have taken more of backseat and directed behind the scenes ala Mayo's low key lifestyle. Instead the idiot did all the opposite like a high schooler who takes to social media. He got lazy and he was asking for trouble.

He got careless because like me and other men when we think with little head and not the one on our shoulders shiiiit happens. WTF supposedly Blackberry can not be hacked who believes this shiit. Oh yeah chapo he is an idiot there is a saying and it goes like thisEntre mas viejo mas pendejo

Seeean,you had a great opportunity,and you fucked it all the way up with Chaps..You could have asked him anything,he answers,he doesn't? But what a fuck up?Chapo be sittin in his jug,wondering what the fuck did i just do?Well baby you got time to figure it out.Complete waste of all their times..Chaps gotta waste much much more

Penn has nothing to worry about when it comes to Chapo. Now Chapo's sons and their thousands of "employees" "hired temps" police US based gang-bangers are another matter.

Pendejo gringo Penn should hire an army of security and never appear in public again. Give the same advice to all relatives, friends and so on. These guys do not play and his sons will not forget that Penn turned in Chapo.

Blaming penn is just stupid...chapo reached out to these people bc he knew the clock was ticking....as much as many of you immortalize Chapo you can't be the worlds most famous ganster for long....eventually either the law or rivals pounce....perhaps he feals safer in jail at this point